Muslims Living by Ethnic Groupings; Exclusively

30-6-2003 | IslamWeb

Question:

Is it possible for Muslims to group according to their ethnic group and serve Islam and Muslims? What is the limit of the rights ethnicity? If one ethnic group is the majority and Muslim, but is cannot given the right status in the country and is oppressed by the minority, under these condition is it forbidden if they organize according to their ethnic group to get rid of these conditions and live Islamic life, ruled and governed by Muslims? In connection to this when I hear the terms like ‘Arab league”, “Arab Mujahiddin”, etc., is it permissible to have such organizations and other Islamic ethnic-based military, political organization? The other issue in connection to ethnicity is I hear some people claiming that” we will not marry out of our ethnic group because the prophet never married except ethnic Arabs and as we know if is not prohibited not to marry out of your ethnic group, or marrying only from your ethnic group, we know Islam made no discrimination in ethnicity making one higher than the other but differ us only to know and live side by side isn't it?” I want you answer all these in detail with all evidence from Qur'an and Hadith in both Arabic and English language because I want to discuss these issues with them. They made me confused and I want to know the truth. Please send me soon with satisfying answer and explanation!

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Know that Allah wants the Muslims to be one community even if their lands, races, nationalities, colors and languages differ. Allah Says (what means):

• {Indeed this, your religion, is one religion, and I am your Lord, so worship Me.} [Quran 21: 92]

• {The believers are nothing else than brothers (in Islamic religion).} [Quran 49: 10]

• {The believing men and believing women are allies of one another.} [Quran 9: 71]

Besides, the Prophet said: “The example of the believers as regards their mutual love and affection is like that of a single human body. If any of its parts aches, all other parts share in the sleeplessness and fever.”

He also said: “Muslims are equal as regards their blood and they are united against their opponents.”

This unity that Allah wants necessitates that the Islamic brotherhood be the strongest handhold around which all Muslims should unite and under whose shade they should join hands. This is because the Muslims are a nation established on the Islamic belief of Monotheism and in the brotherhood of faith.

This does not, however, cancel the specialties and peculiarities of each people. Every people have their own peculiarities, and this is the nature upon which Allah Created men. Allah Says (what means): {O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.} [Quran 49: 13]

There is no objection if people of the same race come together and help one another in the cause of truth and righteousness. The Prophet used to give each clan a banner under which they fought, in order to increase their enthusiasm and bravery.

Ibn Hajar said in his book Al-Isaabah: “There was a banner for each clan.” But these clans are under the larger Islamic camp. If this cooperation among members of each clan is in the interest of Islam and the Muslims, it is not objectionable as long as it does not lead to racial bigotry that counters the Islamic brotherhood. If it leads to negative effects in the unity of the Muslims, it becomes useless. This is the meaning of the Saying of Allah: {Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.}

Faith and piety supersede all other considerations, and all relationships should lie within the comprehensive Muslim brotherhood. If any relationship negates Islam, Islam will wage a relentless war against it. The Prophet said: “Whoever fights for a cause (under a banner) that is not clear, advocating tribalism, getting angry for the sake of tribalism, and he is killed, then he has died a death of Jaahiliyyah (Pre-Islamic Era of Ignorance).”

The Messenger of Allah said in condemnation of calls like these: “Leave it, for it stinks.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Ibn Taymiyyah wrote: “Chapter about making distinctions among the Muslims, in a way that is not enjoined by Allah and His Messenger: Making distinction among Muslims and scorning them in a way that is not sanctioned by Allah or His Messenger like calling a man 'Shakili' or 'Farfandi'. These are false names for which Allah has not revealed any proof to support them. Any Muslim who is called by these names should say: I am neither Shakili nor Farfandi. I am rather a Muslim who follows the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger. The names by which people can be called are those that indicate an affinity to a school of Fiqh like Hanafi and Maaliki, or those that indicate an affinity to a Shaykh like Al-Qadiri and Al-‘Adawi, or those that indicate an affinity to clans like Al-Qaysi and Al-Yameni, or those that indicate an affinity to cities like Ash-Shami, Al-‘Iraqi and Al-Misri. Nobody should however scorn any Muslim with these names, nor take people as friends or enemies on account of these names. In fact, the most honorable of all people in the sight of Allah is the most pious from each group. Since the most honorable among the people in the sight of Allah is the most pious of them, it should be so in the sight of the people as well. That is why the Prophet said: “If a man whose religion and moral conduct are pleasing to you proposes to you, then let him marry; otherwise there will be great mischief and corruption on earth." [Al-Tirmithi] The criteria for accepting or rejecting a man here is religion and conduct. If this condition is missing, there will be great corruption. Al-Mubaarak Poori said in his commentary on the above Hadeeth: ‘Otherwise (i.e. if you do not do it); this means, 'If you do not give your daughter in marriage to him with whose religion and conduct you are pleased, and you only ask for mere nobility of birth, beauty or wealth, there will be widespread corruption. This is because, if you do not give her in marriage but to a wealthy man or a famous man, many of your women may remain without husbands and many of your men will remain without wives and this situation can lead to fornication.”

All the above does not, however, mean that no consideration should be given to wealth and nobility and other qualities.
Al-Khattaabi said: “Suitability is considered (in marriage) in the opinion of most scholars. This suitability is in four things: (1) Religion (2) Freedom from slavery (3) Lineage (4) Profession. Some scholars recognize freedom from bodily defects while some recognize wealth.”

These things are recognized and considered because they help in perpetuating and stabilizing the marital life, which is the purpose of marriage in Islam. Allah Says (what means): {And among His Signs is this, that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them…} [Quran 30: 21]

Allah knows best.